How Can I Help?

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What’s on your mind? I’d like to help…

I hope this message finds you all well and thriving. So here we are during what must be the worst kind of crisis our country and perhaps our entire world has ever faced. The Covid-19 virus has hit our bodies and it has affected our spirits as well, or has it? Whether or not your body has contracted the virus, your spirit and mental attitude is, as with September 11 or any other unexpected change, under your control. You and only you can decide how the Corona Virus and what is going on around you will influence your outlook and actions. As with the time after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, I have one overriding concept to share. “DON’T WORRY ABOUT WHAT YOU CAN’T CONTROL. ONLY FOCUS ON WHAT YOU CAN AFFECT AND THE REST WILL TAKE CARE OF ITSELF.”

People will come up with all sorts of excuses and reasons for worry while not focusing enough on what they really can influence. People will decide, for example, to trust, or not trust, our state, local and federal governments’ decisions on how to handle this crisis and certainly many will not trust our elected officials or at least they will stress over what our government representatives are saying. I submit that all that stress and fear will only paralyze them and not permit them to think and take clear actions on their own behalf.

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Lessons Of September 11, 2001

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Michael Hingson Visits 9/11 Memorial in NTC

On September 11, 2019 we observed the 18th anniversary of the terrorist attacks upon the World Trade Center, the pentagon and the thwarted attack resulting in an aircraft crash in Shanksville Pennsylvania. Around that time, I had my first phone interview about my experiences from that day with Mike Ramsey, news director of KFMO Radio. You may hear the interview here, 

I have been thinking a lot this year about that day especially in the light of all the divisiveness and outright deliberate misinformation being spread by politicians.  Possibly more than usual, I have been pondering what lessons we should take away from the events of September 11, 2001: lessons we seem not to have learned or at least lessons we are not putting into practice. I speak often about the takeaway lessons from 18 years ago, and I want to share some of my thoughts with you. 

Lesson 1, Teamwork. 

“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.” 

Michael Jordan 

Let’s get the problem child out of the way first. If we are going to talk about teamwork, think of how 19 subhuman evil terrorists worked together as a team to stop the world for a bit. One cannot deny this fact. Even creatures like those who perpetrated the attacks can get lucky once or twice, but…  

With that in mind think of all the teamwork that went into the search and rescue efforts by the amazing first responders in New York, Washington and even in Pennsylvania. So many worked together to help show us the way to recover from the horror of the attacks. Thousands of people, men and women selflessly worked together to lead our rebuilding programs both in a physical way as well as a reorientation of our shocked mental psyche. 

Because so many people worked together supporting all of us we were able to move on. As a country and mostly as humans we felt a sense of unity and comradery rarely experienced. I think there was a spirit in this country somewhat like what people must have felt during World War II when everyone here was committed to do all they could to support our troops overseas and each other. 

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